Chapter 204: The Speed Eating Contest

[...!]

[...!]

[...!]

[...!]

The commentator, Lee Seung-Hoon, had become quiet as well, since he did not know what to say. Even the audience that kept on booing and mocking Team 11 earlier were now silent. However, Lee Seung-Hoon could feel his heart trembling. Not long after, he jumped up from his seat and shouted...

[Ah!! Team 11!!!!!!! Player Minhyuk blew out 71 candles and destroyed hundreds of monsters all at once!]

[Did you see it?! That skill? It’s a completely ridiculous AOE attack skill!]

“Uwoooooooooooo!”

The commentators began to broadcast the events that happened.

[Ah, something ridiculously crazy has happened! Player Minhyuk, whom everyone thought was too arrogant, turned out to have the skills!]

[Did you see that?! Hundreds of falling leaves flew at a very unexpected speed and instantly destroyed the enemies!]

[Overwhelming! It’s too overwhelming! Can you see the faces of the other players right now? Their expressions are screaming ‘What did I just see?’!!]

[Is it really possible to have this fighting ability with a production class competition?! Is that player really a production class player?]

[What the hell is that skill? Are you telling me that there is such a powerful and explosive skill in our country?]

Then, one of the staff members of the Korean War hurriedly approached the commenters.

“What’s going on?”

“The internet is going crazy right now.”

“Internet? Of course it’s going crazy. That player is putting up such a great performance right now!”

“...That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“That player is the Frying Pan Killer.”

“...!”

“...!”

Lee Seung-Hoon was caught in surprise before nodding. He could hear the buzz from the audience.

“The Frying Pan Killer?”

“For real?”

It was the same moment when they received messages from the people in reality.

“Wow... That person... But, wasn’t the Frying Pan Killer a combat class?”

“What are you saying? He saved Valkyrie Kingdom with his food, you know?”

“Frying Pan Killer... Who said that he was extremely ugly because he wears a helmet every day... He’s extremely handsome...”

Then, the crowd started shouting loudly in the audience stands.

“Ting! Ting, ting, ting! Taeng! Taeng, taeng, taeng! Ting, ting! Taeng, taeng! Frying Pan Killer!”

“Ting! Ting, ting, ting! Taeng! Taeng, taeng, taeng! Ting, ting! Taeng, taeng! Frying Pan Killer!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!”

On this day, the fancafe “FKL” for the Frying Pan Killer was formed.

***

Pagan, the American player that ranked fifth in the global rankings, watched the TV with interest.?Athenae: Korean War was currently being broadcast live all over the world. Right next to him was one of his guild members.

“That’s quite amazing.”

Pagan shrugged when he heard his guild member’s words.

“What do you mean?”

“That person is in a production class. How did he... It’s an AOE attack skill that I have never seen before.”

Pagan placed his hands on his guild member’s shoulders and sighed. “Yes. That’s amazing. And apparently, that player is a god class. But think about it, that player will not be able to use that strange power anymore.”

“Will not be able to use his power?”

“Yes. Production class players have restrictions. I don’t know how he did that, but the cooldown must be extremely long. So, he might not be able to use that ability again. And that’s not all.”

Pagan looked at the screen as he continued calmly, “What else could he have aside from that ability?”

“Ah...”

“Vhad can summon the monsters once he drew them after the monsters died. He won’t get tired in the long run. As for that player, he definitely has no skills left.”

Indeed, Pagan believed that the Frying Pan Killer was lucky enough to get that skill and he thought that he was also lucky to get a skill that was a cut above the rest. However, it was clear as day that production classes had limitations.

“Then, according to you, they will be left behind.”

“That’s right. And they’re going to be running with gritted teeth from now on just so they will not be left behind.”

Pagan turned around. It seemed like he was about to leave since there would be nothing else left for him to see. However, just as he was about to step forward, he heard the trembling voice of his guild member.

“...They’ll run with gritted teeth so they don’t get left behind? B…but it doesn’t seem to be the case?”

“Eh?”

Pagan turned his head. Then he saw it.

“...Crazy!”

‘Run with gritted teeth?’

The Frying Pan Killer was not anxious at all, instead, smiling brightly as he picked something up. It was none other than the ‘Food Parchment’.

***

[From now on, Team 11 will have to grit their teeth to keep the scores from narrowing down.]

[Their beginning was quite surprising. But, it’s likely they only have that one skill, so the others will definitely close the gap quickly.]

[Huh? But what is Player Minhyuk doing?]

“Yahoo!” Minhyuk shouted as he moved quickly, leaving Kerry behind.

There were ‘Food Parchments’ that were left behind from the hundreds of monsters that died. It was a ‘Speed Eating Contest’ and that’s why monsters dropped food parchments when they got killed. If the player tore the parchment, the food would appear in front of them.

[D…don’t tell me... The reason why he took the lead in the beginning...]

[He’s not trying to eat something delicious during the time the other players are trying to close the gap, right?]

[I…I think that’s the case. Look at that player, isn’t he sporting a bright and happy smile now?]

[Yes... It really is. It’s a bright and happy smile just like a child’s smile.]

Minhyuk saw dozens of parchments lying in front of him and without any hesitation, he ripped one of them into pieces. It was the parchment for ‘Mochi Donuts’. Ignoring the ruckus around him, Minhyuk sat down and admired the mochi donut that appeared in front of him. The mochi donuts glistened brightly with sugar coating every inch of its surface. Minhyuk happily licked the sugar on his fingers as he smiled happily before taking it into his mouth.

“Are, are you not going to continue fighting?”

“It’s the Speed Eating Contest, you know!”

“N…no... That name... Speed eating...” Kerry said. He wanted to refute Minhyuk, but he knew that the food from these parchments would fill the depleted HP and MPs or just like what the commentators said, some of the parchments could grant special buffs.

‘But who will actually eat it? Isn’t it obvious that the other players will try to narrow down the gap when we’re eating?’

“By the time we finish, the other players would have caught up! Look, those guys are smacking the monsters right now!”

“Eyy. I’m trying to live by eating here. You too, sit down and take a bite of this sugar-coated donut.”

“I don’t know! I’m going to keep on extinguishing the candles and hunting!”

Minhyuk shrugged. He was finally able to consume the mochi donut that he had met for the first time in a long while. As soon as it entered his mouth, he could taste the sweet sugar on the outside and the chewy texture of the mochi donut. When he pulled the chewy donut with his teeth, the hot red bean filling instantly filled his mouth and made it sweet.

This time, he ripped the parchment for ‘Sokcho’s Sweet and Crispy Chicken’. The famous dish in Sokcho market! Sokcho Sweet and Crispy Chicken! The Sokcho Sweet and Crispy Chicken was sprinkled with peanuts, looking especially warm and inviting. He quickly pierced a piece of meat with a fork and put it in his mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

The texture that Minhyuk felt when he bit into the chicken was quite good and crunchy. After going past the crispy, sweet and spicy skin, he could taste the tender and lean meat inside. He ate the delicious chicken while he ripped another parchment. It was ‘cola’. The cola that everyone was fond of.

Fwiiiiiish─

The cheerful and happy sound of a carbonated drink being opened was heard loudly. Minhyuk also did not forget to take out the ice that he had kept frozen in his food storage inventory. Then, he placed the ice in a glass and...

Glug, glug, glug, glug─

Shwaaaaa─

…More bubbles were produced from him pouring the cola into a glass. Then, he lifted up his glass to moisten his throat.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp─

“Kggghk─!”

Minhyuk felt the sting from the cold cola passing through his throat. It was definitely an exhilarating feeling. Then, the sound that the commentator unknowingly produced spread in the coliseum.

[Gulp─]

It was the unmistakable sound of gulping.

***

Countless people sitting on the stands in the coliseum were focused on the big screen.

[Gulp─]

Just like the commentator, the countless players in the country were also gulping down their saliva. As they gulped, questions floated in their heads.

“What’s this? Why do I want to eat when I’m watching him?”

“I feel strangely at ease.”

“Look at that player’s face. He looks so happy. It’s like he has everything in the world.”

“Hey! Do I really look like I’m displaying a fatherly smile?”

The players all around the coliseum were gazing at the screen with delighted smiles on their faces. All of them were looking forward to it.

‘What will he eat next?’

Then, they saw Minhyuk rip up another parchment.

“Ra…ramyeon and kimbap combi...!”

“Th…this is the truth! This is the way and the truth and the life...!”

.

This was like a heavenly combination, a perfect combination in Kimbap Heaven. Kimbap and ramyeon were common in the market, so it was no surprise that it appeared here. Meanwhile, the foreign commentators were hurriedly explaining the live broadcasts to the world.

[Korea’s Player Minhyuk has shown us something surprising for the first time.]

[It was the power of the player whom everyone laughed and mocked at. A very powerful AOE attack skill that I have never seen in this world.]

[Who in the world is that player?]

[Oh. But that player really eats deliciously! My mouth is already watering even though I don’t know the food that he is eating.]

[It looks like plane tickets to Korea will be sold out. The viewers who are watching this live broadcast will definitely go to Korea to eat those.]

As for the Korean commentators…

[I…I really can’t help but gulp down my saliva. Player Minhyuk is showing us what the Speed Eating contest really is like.]

[Aaaah! He held it! Player Minhyuk has picked up his chopsticks!]

[He lifted a huge amount of noodles! He looked like he would eat all of them in one go!]

[There are a lot of people in the world who are interested in the way he eats.]

[Now, we are looking at him eating kimbap and ramyeon. How will he eat it in front of people all over the world?!]

***

A large cup of ramyeon. This was what people ate when they were left hungry all day long and all that was left in the refrigerator at home were some kimchi and eggs. When one reached that level of hunger, the food that people wanted to eat the most was none other than ramyeon. There was even the kimbap that was greased with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was a truly delicious combination. To be honest, the kimbap that was produced in the Speed Eating Contest had the perfect ratio and ideal proportion of ingredients.

‘The pickled radish is small and the ham is big!’

In the past, when he went to Kimbap Heaven, he could see that the pickled radish was big, while the ham was so small. As he ate their kimbap, he would sometimes wonder if he was really eating kimbap, or just pickled radish. However, the kimbap in front of him had a very big slice of ham, with plenty of eggs in it.

‘I heard that the grandmas and aunties that worked in the market for decades cooked the dishes for this competition?’

Since this was the biggest competition in the country, the?Athenae?team did not slack off. They did not settle for anything that was below perfect. They only prepared food made by the artisans that had perfected their specific food for a very long time. Just thinking about it brought a smile to Minhyuk’s face. He, who was always hungry, looked even hungrier than ever. Just like that, he quickly blew on the piping hot noodles as he sucked the noodles into his mouth without delay.

“Sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!”